Saje Scotland is a registered charity and social enterprise programme which works to reduce and prevent domestic abuse in Scotland by offering their two programmes. The Freedom Programme is a course which helps women make sense of the abuse they are experiencing/have experienced and helps them heal and move forward. The women can then advance in to the Toolkit for Life programme which recognises a woman’s coping methods she may have developed through her traumatic experiences which may no longer be helpful, and think of other strategies to help her move on. Both courses are designed to empower women to make positive choices about their own lives and for lives of their children. SAJE Scotland took away the top award of the evening. The grant of £5000 will allow Saje Scotland to continue and improve their services and extend across Scotland. The organisation would like to introduce regular peer support meetings post programmes which will reinforce participants learning, self-belief and strengthen their abilities to continue and develop. The grant will also contribute towards volunteer expenses and childcare costs.
Janet Henderson from Saje Scotland said; “We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded the £5,000. Getting the biggest grant was unexpected and we are really excited about what we can achieve with this funding. Overall the Women’s Fund for Scotland live grant making showcase was a brilliant networking opportunity and we have met people who want to get involved in our project.”